


Of Houses And Homes

by fallingintoplace



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Dyslexic Harry Potter, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Harry Potter is Tony Stark's Child, He starts off kinda dickish, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Loki is Lily Evans' father, Mentor! Loki, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Sarcasm, Starts the summer after fifth year, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Daddy Issues, Vindictive Harry Potter, eventually, everyone actually talks to each other because i want my super family to be nice and happy, redeemed loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:54:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28780836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingintoplace/pseuds/fallingintoplace
Summary: Britain isn't safe for Harriet anymore, at least not during the summer. Left reeling after the death of her only father figure, Harriet learns that she has a biological father named Tony Stark. She has a second chance at a family, but building a happy family isn't always so easy.I suck at summaries but you should read this! It has drama! romance! angst! fluff! and a happy ending!
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker, Harry Potter & Avengers Team, Harry Potter & Loki, Harry Potter & Peter Parker, Harry Potter & Tony Stark, Harry Potter/Harley Keener
Comments: 59
Kudos: 410





	1. On Endings and Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a sucker for this type of fic. It's going to hopefully explore Harriet and Tony healing together. I hope you guys enjoy! Let it be said that I own nothing except for my typos and bad plot points.  
> Shoutout to @marfarma for the lovely ship idea!

It really had all started the past summer. After the Potter LuckTM almost got the souls sucked out of not just Harriet, but her Muggle cousin too, Sirius realized a few important things. The first one, that Harriet was in danger, wasn’t a _new_ realization, but she wasn’t being attacked by just Voldemort and his lackeys this time. Dementors meant that someone in the Ministry was trying to hurt her. And with the way the _Prophet_ was maligning Harriet’s name, it was becoming clear that being in Britain was getting progressively more and more unsafe. The second realization, that Dumbledore wasn’t going to do a thing to help protect Harriet, quickly led to the third realization. If no one was going to help her, Sirius would have to do it himself.

Sirius had a plan. It wasn’t a good one, but it was better than nothing. He had some letters to write and an extremely awkward conversation with a teenager to be had. It was going to work out just fine. He kept telling himself that.

Sirius had many things: dastardly good looks, an amazing sense of humor combined with a penchant for good ol’ mischief, a veritable ton of trauma. Sirius also lacked many things, such as complete sanity and any semblance of tact, which is why he pulled Harriet away for a difficult conversation while the Weasleys and Hermione were celebrating their new prefect positions. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t his _best_ move, but at least he didn’t choose right after the hearing at the Ministry. Then again, Sirius was not known for his stellar decisions, like chasing after Wormtail instead of taking care of little baby Harriet. He still regretted that one. A lot.

Anyways, Sirius nabbed Harriet and pulled her into the library while everyone else was being disgustingly cheerful in the kitchen. He sat Harriet, who was eyeing him nervously, down on a couch before plopping down gracelessly right next to her. Sirius looked at Harriet. Harriet looked at Sirius. Sirius looked back at Harriet, then blurted, “James wasn’t actually your dad.” Super smooth, Sirius. He nailed it.

“Wait, what?”

“You know that pureblood bullshit about having ‘an heir and a spare?’ Well, James and Lily were having a hard time having any child, much less two, so they decided to, well, fake it. They found some Muggle who looked a lot like James, and then James magically adopted lil’ baby you.” Sirius looked at Harriet dubiously. “You _do_ know how babies are made, right?”

“Wait, what? And yes, I know how babies are made!” And really, in Harriet’s defense, she had spent his whole life being told how much she looked like a female James, just with her mum’s eyes. “They just found some random guy for Mum to have sex with so they could have a child to fulfill dumb pureblood requirements?”

“It wasn’t just some random guy; it was a random guy who looked like James. And it wasn’t just to have an heir. James and Lily really wanted a child. They both loved you, a lot.”

“So why are you telling me this? Learning that my whole life has been a lie is exactly what I needed right now.”

“Well, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but both the Ministry and Voldemort are out to get you right now. Your other dad happens to be an American, and I’m going to contact MACUSA and see if I can get at least you, though maybe me as well, political asylum. If everything works out well, you’ll be able to move to the US next summer and will no longer have to deal with the mess that is British Wizarding society.”

“You want me to just… leave?”

“Yup. I want what’s best for your safety, and I don’t trust Dumbledore to keep you safe. I’ll drag you to America myself if it’s what I need to do to protect you.”

“Will I have to go back to the Dursleys?”

“You’ll never have to go back there.”

Harriet smiled. “Alright. I’m in. Let’s move to America!”

~~~

Vernon Dursley did not like Harriet. Harriet didn’t like Vernon. She didn’t like any of the Dursleys, and the feeling was definitely mutual. Vernon Dursley liked Harriet even less when she dragged a limp Dudley back to the house after being attacked by Dementors. Harriet didn’t mind that the Dursleys disliked her. She just minded how they treated her. Just because she didn’t like Draco didn’t mean she’d hit him (she left that to Hermione). Vernon, however, seemed to feel that dislike warranted a heavy dose of violence. It definitely made him feel better. Harriet wasn’t a fan. She personally thought he needed some better coping skills, something that didn’t end with her nursing some new bruises. When Sirius offered her a chance to escape her personal summer hell, she eagerly took it. She was excited to leave. Hopefully her biological father wouldn’t mind if Harriet lived with Sirius. It would be easier for everyone involved. He wouldn’t have to deal with her, and she’d be able to finally spend time with her godfather. So, for once, she started her fifth year not actually dreading the summer.

~~~

Her fifth year ended in a tragedy and the horrific realization that Sirius would never have a chance to be free. Sirius was still taking care of her from the other side, though, because he had already arranged everything for her to leave. MACUSA was more than pleased to offer her dual citizenship on the condition that she attended some events for them. They had a Muggle-born social worker already prepared to facilitate her move to New York where her bio father apparently lived. Sirius had snuck out to Gringotts with her over the miserable Christmas break, where the goblins had done an inheritance test which showed that her bio father was some guy named Tony Stark. James had adopted her, though, so she was a Potter in the eyes of Magic even if she didn’t have any Potter DNA. While they were there, Sirius updated his will, making Harriet his heir. “Just in case,” he had said with a wink, and now, Harriet wondered if he had known that something was going to happen to him. It wasn’t fair that he had died, but then again, nothing in her life had ever been fair so she might as well just suck it up and get over herself.

Remus picked her up from the Dursleys the day after term ended and drove her to the airport. She didn’t bother saying goodbye. Her trunk was disguised as a normal suitcase, and had charms covering it so she was able to easily pass through security. Hedwig unfortunately had to be stowed in the bottom of the plane. She wished she could just take a Portkey, but they didn’t want to alert the Ministry that she was leaving, since they were likely already compromised by the Death Eaters. It was what it was, though. She had a plane to catch and a father to meet.

~~~

Harriet loved flying but decided quickly that she hated planes. They were death traps that had no business being in the air, and she was decidedly _not_ a fan. She tried to read a bit of her maths textbook that Hermione had provided, but the letters were jumping around and she couldn't use the handy read-aloud charm she had learned. She was in for a long and boring flight.

~~~

A nice-looking woman was waiting for her at the airport. She introduced herself as Felicity Adams, social worker extraordinaire. Ms. Adams briefly explained the plan. They were to head to Stark Tower for a paternity test since they couldn’t exactly show the Muggles the results of a goblin inheritance test. After that, she’d meet her father, Ms. Adams would explain some things, her dad would hopefully take her, and that would be that. She’d have a new home. Harriet knew there was no way it would be that simple.

The car ride to the tower was quiet. Harriet ogled at the buildings, having never left Great Britain before. They finally got to the tower, and Harriet found it quite ugly and ostentatious, but it was apparently to be her home, so she’d get used to it. They parked, and Harriet left her trunk and Hedwig in the car, who was hooting, irritated at being left behind.

The secretary waved them through after verifying that Ms. Adams truly did have an appointment. They entered the elevator, which started rising despite them not pressing a button, not that there was a button to press. The elevator had shiny steel walls and a thick carpeted floor but no buttons, just a small screen displaying what floor they were on. It was rather eerie, and that was saying something, considering she went to school where staircases moved on their own.

The elevator stopped on the 49th floor, and the doors silently slid open to show a pretty woman with strawberry blonde hair and a man wearing a lab coat waiting for them. She stuck out her hand, and Harriet shook it apprehensively.

“You must be Harriet,” she said, not quite warmly but definitely not antagonistically. “I’m Pepper Potts and this is Dr. Bruce Banner. He’s going to take care of the paternity test today.”

“Nice to meet you, sir and ma’am,” Harriet mumbled awkwardly.

“If you’ll just follow me, we’ll head to the med bay where we can take a few samples,” Bruce said, smiling kindly. He led her to a room that reminded her of the hospital wing, and had her sit on an exam table. She swung her legs idly while she waited for Dr. Banner, who was bustling around collecting supplies. “Alright, so first I’m going to take a swab from the inside of your cheek.” He did just that as Harriet opened her mouth obediently. “I’m also just going to take a small blood sample.”

“Do you have to take the blood sample?” Harriet asked, alarmed. She didn’t like what happened the last time someone used her blood for something.

“Unfortunately, I do, but we only need a few drops, not a lot.” Harriet resignedly allowed him to take the blood sample, and watched curiously as he fed the two samples into a machine. She hoped the test would be done soon. She was tired and jet-lagged and just wanted to go to sleep. She was not having a good day.

~~~

Tony was not having a good day. He was bruised and sore from the Avengers’ latest tussle with the new-and-improved Doombots, a pounding headache from the board meeting that managed to be both horrendously boring and utterly frustrating to the point he was almost _grateful_ that the Doombots attacked, giving him an excuse to leave without facing the wrath of Pepper. He got a nasty shock from the Widow bites he was updating in an attempt to relax via tinkering, and then DUM-E assumed his loud and excessive swearing meant a fire and proceeded to cover him with a generous layer of foam from the fire extinguisher. Needless to say, the day had not been pleasant. It was about to get worse.

“Boss, I’d suggest that you get cleaned up a bit. You have a meeting with a social worker in half an hour,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. said. Tony spat out his mouthful of smoothie.

“A _social worker_?”

“Yep! Boss Lady told you about this yesterday. There’s someone claiming to be your kid and you are her best bet for custody.”

“I can’t have a kid. There’s no way she’s mine.”

“She’s currently in the med bay with Dr. Banner for a paternity test, but based on her appearance, there is a high likelihood of her being your child.”

Tony swore. This day was just getting worse. He took a quick shower, trying to get the grease and the chemicals off of him, before throwing on some jeans and an old MIT sweatshirt. He walked into the conference room fifteen minutes late, where he was met with the disapproving glare of Pepper, who was sitting across the table from a woman. Tony collapsed into the seat next to Pepper, sighed, dragged his hand down his face, sighed again, then finally looked up at the social worker.

“Thank you for joining us, Dr. Stark. It’s a pleasure to meet yo-,”

“Cut to the chase. Is she my daughter or not?” Tony interrupted. The woman looked a little flustered, and Pepper kicked his leg underneath the table.

“She is.” The woman slid a folder across the table to Tony, who glanced at it.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., is this accurate?” he challenged.

“It’s accurate. Dr. Banner used both a saliva and a blood sample. Congrats, Boss. It’s a girl!”

Tony groaned. “So now what? Who even is her mom?”

“Her mom was Lily Potter. I’m not sure if you remember her. She died nearly fifteen years ago along with Harriet’s step-father, James Potter.”

“Don’t remember her. Does she have anyone else she can stay with? I’m not exactly father material here.”

“Harriet was raised by her maternal aunt, but the state removed her from their care as they were deemed unfit guardians. Her godfather was to receive custody, but he unfortunately passed away a few weeks ago. You’re the only one she has left. If you choose to not take her, which is your right, she will enter the foster system either here or in London.”

“He’ll take her,” Pepper smoothly interjected. Tony looked at her, outraged. “Excuse us for a moment, Ms. Adams, I need to talk to Tony briefly in the hall.” Pepper dragged Tony after her with an iron-strong grip.

“I’m not taking her,” Tony said.

“Yes, you are. That poor girl has no one, and if that isn’t enough reason for you, think about what the press would say when they find out you abandoned your child, because you _know_ they’ll find out.” Pepper’s glare softened a bit. “I know you’re worried about being like your own father, but you’re so good with Peter and Harley. You’ll be fine.”

Tony sighed reluctantly. “Fine. I don’t want to, but I’ll take her.”

Pepper smiled. “Wonderful! Let’s head back inside.” They turned around to see a very uncomfortable looking Dr. Banner and a teenaged girl with dark hair and very angry bright green eyes. She was petite and was wearing the ugliest set of clothes Tony had ever seen. She glared at him before entering the conference room, with Pepper following behind. He winced a little. It was unfortunate that she heard that conversation.

Tony had to sign a few papers, and before he knew it, he was with his daughter in the elevator with her suitcase and an owl. An actual owl. He looked at her. This was awkward, but he might as well get it over with. “You should probably call me Tony. What’s your name again?”

“Harriet,” she said, before going back to petting her owl. “I know you don’t like this, Mr. Stark, so I’ll do my best not to be in the way. I go to a boarding school, so you’ll only have to deal with me over this summer and the next one.” Tony was a bit ashamed about how relieved he felt at that.

“Alright then. I’ll find you a room so you can drop off your stuff, and then I’ll take you to meet everyone else.”

“Everyone else?”

“The Avengers.” At her blank look, he elaborated. “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? Doesn’t ring a bell?” She shook her head. “What, did you live under a rock?”

“Something like that,” she muttered.

“How have you not heard of them? Do you know who I am?”

“Nothing besides the fact that you’re my biological father. My school is very isolated and Aunt Petunia never let me watch the news or leave the house much, so if you’re someone famous, I have no clue.”

No clue. She had no clue that she was the child of one of the richest people on the planet. He was astonished. He ignored the little tidbit about her aunt as they had arrived at the penthouse level. He directed her towards an empty room, and she lugged her suitcase and the bird cage. She opened the cage and let the owl hop up onto her shoulder.

“You can unpack later. The common floor is the level below us.” She silently followed him to the elevator, both her and the bird watching him with unnervingly bright eyes. It made him shudder, and he was grateful when the doors opened up to the common room, where a group of the Avengers were lounging. Everyone turned to look at them. “Team, this is my kid. Kid, this is the team. I’ll be in the lab.” He pushed her forward slightly in the direction of the team and made his escape.

~~~

Harriet stood there, shocked. “Charming. Is he always that pleasant? My name’s Harriet.” 

“Since when did Tony have a kid?” a tall blond man asked.

“He’s _had_ a kid for nearly sixteen years. He’s _known_ about his kid for about two hours. It hasn’t been a pleasant surprise for him,” she said dryly.

“Is that an owl?” someone else asked, curiously.

“Does she look like something other than an owl? Her name is Hedwig.” Hedwig flew from her perch on Harriet’s shoulder to land on the man/s knee, who immediately started cooing over the bird. The group quickly went around and introduced themselves. The blond man was named Steve, while the bird obsessed one was named Clint. A second man, Sam, also started petting Hedwig after introducing himself. A redheaded woman who looked far more dangerous than anyone had a right to look was named Natasha. Apparently, there were other members of the group, two gods who were currently off-world, and some people named Bucky, Rhodey, and Wanda were on a mission and would be back the next day.

Harriet didn’t stay for long before she excused herself to start unpacking. She’d met enough new people that day and was more than ready for some sleep.


	2. On Spiders And Spying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy folks! Glad you could make it! Welcome back to the story! Is a friendship meet-cute a thing? Is a meet-ugly instead of a meet-cute a thing? If it isn't, I'm making it one.   
> I hope you enjoy :)

Peter was in the lab futzing around with his web slingers by the time Tony got there, and he was a sight for sore eyes. In general, Tony wasn’t a fan of kids. He could count how many he actually liked on one hand. More like on two fingers. Because there were just two, Peter and Harley, though he tolerated Peter’s friends. Well, he tolerated Ted. He would never admit it, but he was slightly afraid of MJ. Only slightly. She reminded him of Pepper, and he didn’t need two Peppers around.

He sat on the stool next to Peter, who immediately started chattering about his latest ideas for a new formula, his latest adventures on patrol, the latest disaster that his Aunt May had cooked, and whatever floated through his head. Tony only half paid attention.

“Oh, and thank you, Mr. Stark, for letting me and Harley spend the summer here! It’s been so long since I last saw him and he, Shuri, and I text all the time but it’s not the same as actually being face to face in person.”

“It’s my pleasure. I love having the two of you around, though I would appreciate it if you avoided blowing up my lab and keeping the number of fires to a minimum.” Peter looked at him, laughing, and Tony’s heart warmed. “Do you want to go with Happy to pick up Harley from the airport tomorrow? His plane is supposed to land around two. The stubborn kid refused to take my private jet and insisted on flying _commercial_ ,” Tony said with distaste. “I’d drive but something came up that I have to take care of.”

“What happened?”

“I’ll tell you later. It’s a long story,” Tony waved him off.

“Alright! I’m going to head out on patrol. I’ll catch you later!”

“Don’t stay out too late!” Tony called after him, smiling. He really adored that Spider-Kid. Now that the Spiderling was gone, Tony had some research to do. He glanced at the files the social worker had given him. What kind of middle name was Dorea? He would have named her Ana or something like that after Ana Jarvis because Edwina was just unfortunate.

He pulled up all the information he could on his daughter and came up with surprisingly little. She had a few hospital visits in her medical records, but they were for typical kid things like a broken arm or a concussion. She had lived with her aunt and uncle and cousin who was named Dudley, which was an even worse name than Dorea. At least Dorea sounded nice. Dudley just sounded… bad. He was able to pull up a few photos of the family, though most of them didn’t have her, instead just showcasing two enormously fat males and a horse-like woman. Her grades in elementary school were subpar, which was disappointing to Tony. He would have expected his daughter to be intelligent, and looking at her grades, she was anything but. In all honesty, it was a good thing her last name wasn’t Stark. It would have been an embarrassment if the media found out that his kid wasn’t just not a genius but was actually below average. Nothing Stark related was below average! The curious thing was that the school records stopped when she turned eleven. There weren’t any medical records, either. It was almost as if she had disappeared, like magic.

Tony looked up her mother next. Lily Evans Potter was beautiful and vaguely familiar, with red hair and the same green eyes that Harriet had used to glare at him earlier that day. Just like Harriet, her school records stopped when she turned eleven, though at least Lily didn’t have the same awful grades. Lily had died nearly fifteen years ago on Halloween along with her husband, James. The cause of death was listed as asphyxiation via carbon monoxide, but the attached photos of a house half caved in from an explosion didn’t add up, along with the fact that Lily was found in the nursery, right in front of Harriet’s crib, who was very much alive considering she was now invading his life. But when he looked more into James, he couldn’t find any records at all, no birth certificates nor death certificates, just his name alongside Lily’s in the obituary. Tony even hacked into SHIELD and still couldn’t find any of the information he was missing on either Harriet, Lily, or James.

Since both Lily and Harriet had dropped off the radar at age eleven, he looked for other people who did the same thing, and found a worrying pattern across the U.K. He wondered if they were recruited for some sort of spy school or training for being a child soldier, but then thought of Harriet, who didn’t exactly seem like soldier material. He still didn’t have an answer, though, and he was incredibly frustrated. He kept looking, until he heard someone scream upstairs.

~~~

Harriet usually slept poorly, plagued with bad dreams and insomnia, and ever since she spent a few weeks in the hands of Death Eaters after the Tri-Wizard Tournament, she was a light sleeper as well, along with being a paranoid and fearful sleeper, too. With Sirius’s encouragement, she kept a knife under her pillow as she slept. Sirius trained her on how to fight with it, and she continued practicing in the Room of Requirement. She was by no means _good_ at fighting with it, but it was better than nothing and made her feel a bit safer.

Since she was such a light sleeper, she woke up the moment her window opened and watched in horror as someone climbed through it and into her room. She grabbed her dagger and scrambled out of bed, holding it with shaking hands between her and the stranger, who was wearing a strange mask.

“Who the hell are you?” she asked. “What are you doing here?”

“Who are you?” he retorted and shot something strange and white out of his wrist, binding one of her hands to the wall, the knife clattering to the floor. Harriet did what any teenager would do when someone crept into her room during the middle of the night and covered her with a sticky white fluid. She screamed. Loudly.

She heard people come running, and Natasha holding a gun burst in, followed by Tony, who started chuckling. “Spider-kid, this is my daughter Harriet. Harriet, this is the Spider-kid.”

“I’d say I’m pleased to meet you but I’m really not,” Harriet said.

“I’m sorry about that. I think I climbed into the wrong room,” the kid said, rubbing his shoulder sheepishly.

“You _think_?” Harriet hissed. The Spider-person or whatever he was called winced. “What even is this?” She tugged at her hand. “How do I get out of it?”

“It’s my web fluid. It should dissolve in a few hours.”

“So I’m stuck here for a few hours?”

“Well, I ran out of my dissolving solution so unless someone cuts you out…”

Natasha pulled out a knife to slice off the webbing. Harriet rubbed feeling back into her hand gratefully.

“Thank you. Now, can everyone get out of my room so I can get some sleep?” They all shuffled out, and Harriet collapsed on her bed, exhausted.

~~~

Even though she was tired, Harriet was too wired to sleep. After over an hour of just staring at the ceiling, she eventually got up and padded out into the main common area of the floor. The common room opened up to a balcony with a gorgeous view of the city skyline, and the sun was just starting to rise, so she sat outside as the sky lightened and illuminated the city below. It was beautiful.

She went back inside and into the kitchen, where she got started on making breakfast. Stress baking was always a good idea. If anything, fresh baked goods would only endear her to the new people she was living with, so she started by making some dough for cinnamon rolls, and while it was rising, got started on some blueberry muffins. And she didn’t know what was expected of her yet, and she didn’t want to start on even more of a wrong foot.

Harriet had always enjoyed cooking. It was her favorite chore at the Dursleys. She probably would have enjoyed Potions if it weren’t for one Severus Snape. She had no respect for him. Just because he was bullied as a child did not give him the right to bully children as an adult. It was rather pathetic in her opinion. And it wasn’t like she was bitter or anything (maybe only a _little_ bit bitter). He was a bad teacher with a bad attitude who had no business being around children.

People slowly starting meandering in. Steve came first, followed by a sleepy Dr. Banner. Harriet rooted around in the fridge and cupboards to get the ingredients for a traditional English fry-up, humming a Weird Sisters song. Clint and Natasha came next, who put a pot of coffee on. Dr. Banner made himself some tea.

“Excuse me, Dr. Banner, is it alright if I use one of your tea bags?”

He nodded. “Call me Bruce, and feel free to drink whatever, though I don’t think Tony would appreciate it if you drank some of his alcohol.” She smiled at him and rifled through the boxes of tea before selecting a bag of English Breakfast Tea. It smelled like mornings at Hogwarts, and she gratefully inhaled the steam rising from her mug, finding the process of making tea soothing.

People were eating the food almost as fast as she was cooking, and she was glad she made multiple pans of muffins.

“Morning, Harriet,” murmured a sleepy boy who looked about her age that just walked in. She didn’t recognize him, but his voice was slightly familiar.

“Who are you?” she asked, then looked at him closely. “No way! You’re that Spider-child? Spider-person? Spider-thing? Whatever you’re called.”

“It’s Spider-Man, and no, I’m not.”

She laughed. “You totally are. You aren’t that good at the secret identity thing, are you?”

He blushed, then shoved an entire muffin in his mouth to avoid responding. He swallowed, somehow not choking. “My name’s Peter. Sorry about, you know, last night.”

“It’s alright. Just please try to not do that again?”

“I think I can manage that.”

Pepper came next, swinging by on her way to her office just to grab a cup of coffee. “Good morning, Harriet! How did you sleep?”

“Good morning Miss Potts. I slept alright.”

“Please call me Pepper, dear.” She looked at Harriet, taking in her clothing. Harriet looked down at her clothes self-consciously. She was wearing one of Dudley’s old shirts with the excess fabric gathered and tied into a knot at her hip with a pair of jeans that were distressed but in the “super old and falling apart” way, not as a fashion statement. It was the same outfit she had worn the day before. “Do you not have other clothes? Something that fits you?”

Harriet blushed, embarrassed. “No, ma’am. My clothes are either hand me downs from my cousin or my school uniform.”

Pepper tsked. “That won’t do. You need clothes that fit. I’d take you shopping myself, but I have a lot of meetings today. Maybe Natasha could take you.”

“Thank you but I don’t have the money.”

“Nonsense! We’ll use Tony’s credit card. God knows he deserves it after the way he’s been treating you.”

“Are you sure he won’t be upset?”

“He probably won’t even notice.” So, Harriet just shrugged and let Pepper shepherd her and Natasha into the elevator and towards the garage. Natasha grinned at Harriet mischievously as she pulled a key that was hanging off of a hook on the wall.

“We’re going to take Tony’s favorite car.” They climbed into a bright red Audi convertible, and Natasha revved the engine before they headed off into the city.

~~~

Tony awoke to a delicious scent emanating from the kitchen. He followed his nose, blearily rubbing the sleep from his eyes, then rubbed his eyes again in disbelief. There was a veritable bakery’s worth of baked goods covering the kitchen counters. There were even blueberry muffins, the type with the granulated sugar on top and fresh blueberries. His mouth watered. They looked even better than they smelled, and they smelled like heaven. They tasted like heaven, and he scarfed down two of them before he even drank his coffee, which he had gratefully received from Pepper.

“Where’d all this food come from?” he asked.

“Harriet made it,” Clint said, with Harriet’s stupid, weirdly intelligent bird perching on his shoulder. “I like your kid, Tony.”

“She seems like an absolute sweetheart. A bit shy, though,” Steve agreed. Tony scoffed at that but didn’t say anything.

“She has good taste, too,” Bruce added. “She drinks tea!” That was another strike against her. No self-respecting Stark drank _tea_ instead of coffee.

“Where is she, anyways?” Tony asked.

“I sent her and Natasha out to buy her some clothes that actually fit,” Pepper said. “She said that she only had hand me downs from her cousin. It looked like she was wearing a tent!” Tony frowned. From what he remembered from the pictures her cousin was about two hundred pounds heavier than her. There was no way his clothes fit her well.

“That’s fine with me,” Tony said. “Come on, Pete. I want to get some time in the lab before Harley’s plane lands.” He snagged another muffin before walking out, Peter following behind. He might be able to tolerate Harriet if she kept making those delicious muffins.

~~~

Natasha first dragged her to a tailor’s that made bespoke clothing. She stood on a stand and got measured, reminding her of a less magical Madam Malkin’s. The woman working there took one look at Harriet, clucked her tongue disapprovingly, and quickly got to work. Before long, she had multiple pairs of jeans, shirts, a few sweaters, and a nice dress all measured up. They’d be delivered to the Tower later when they were ready.

For up until then, Natasha took her to the shopping district and picked out clothes for her. Harriet allowed herself to get shuffled to and from the dressing room, letting Natasha dress her up a bit like a doll. It was rather nice, she thought, someone actually caring about her, and she was incredibly excited about having clothes that fit and were flattering.

At one of the last stores, Harriet nabbed a leather jacket that reminded her of Sirius. She missed him so much and she was a little glad that Tony had turned out to be such a jerk. She didn’t know what she would have done if he had tried to replace Sirius. This way, she didn’t feel bad about disliking him. He was, after all, quite dislikable.

Finally, Natasha decided she had enough clothes and that it was time for them to get lunch. Harriet happily agreed, and they went to a small Italian place for lunch. She was ravenous.

“And I can just order anything I want?” Harriet asked.

“Of course!” Natasha looked at her a bit too closely. “Why do you ask?”

“The people I lived with before never took me places.” Harriet blushed, then muttered, “and they often ‘forgot’ to feed me. I’d usually only get food after they had finished eating. They didn’t like me very much.”

“Is that why you didn’t eat this morning?”

Harriet nodded, a bit ashamed. “I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to eat anything.”

“You don’t need permission to eat here. You can eat whatever you want, whenever you want.”

“Are you serious?” Harriet smiled at Natasha’s nod. “I think I might like it here after all!”

~~~

Peter was practically _vibrating_ with excitement. He hadn’t seen Harley in ages and ages, and he could barely stand still waiting at the airport for the plane to land. Happy was standing stiffly next to him, but he rolled his eyes fondly at Peter’s antics. Peter was growing on him. Like a fungus, maybe, but he was definitely growing on him.

When Harley exited the airport and made his way to the car, Peter nearly leaped onto him. He considered Harley to be a combination of a friend and a pseudo-older brother, and he had been looking forward to seeing him again.

Harley hugged him back, and Peter helped carry his suitcases to the car, chattering excitedly on the way.

“Hey, Pete, I have some news you’re gonna like! I was able to convince Ma and Tony and I’m gonna transfer to Midtown for my senior year. I’ll be staying at the Tower and everything!”

“Seriously? That’s amazing!” They wouldn’t have any classes together since Harley was two grades ahead of him, but it would still be nice to go to the same school. “I wonder what school Harriet will go to.”

“Who’s Harriet?”

“She’s Mr. Stark’s daughter.”

“Tony has a _daughter_? Why didn’t he tell me?”

“Well, in his defense, I think he only found out yesterday.”

“Have you met her?”

“Yeah! She looks a lot like him. She’s staying at the Tower. She seems nice enough even though she threatened me with a knife when we met.” Peter looked away and scratched at the back of his head self-consciously. “I may have crawled into her room after patrol instead of my own. I don’t really blame her. If a masked person came through my window at two a.m. I’d probably do the same thing, though I am concerned about why she apparently sleeps with a knife.”

Harley ruffled Peter’s hair fondly. “I’m looking forward to meeting her. This should be an interesting summer!”

~~~

In all honesty, Harriet was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Things were going a little too well, and nothing in her life was ever this easy, so when she found Tony sitting alone in the common area, tapping away at his tablet, she gathered up her Gryffindor courage and went to talk to him.

“What’s the catch?”

“Excuse me?” he looked at her, seemingly confused.

“What’s the catch?” she huffed. “You obviously don’t like me or want me here, but you’ve given me a room, new clothes, and are allowing me to eat so what are you expecting from me in return? If it’s just cooking and cleaning, that’s fine, but I’m not whoring myself out for a place to stay. I’ll bloody swim back to England if I have to.”

“Wait, what?” Tony spluttered. “You think I’m expecting something, expecting _that_ from you? Did- did your uncle expect that?”

“My uncle is a right bastard and a violent drunk but he’s no pervert. He did like to tell me, though, that not everyone was as nice as him and that I was lucky he didn’t use me to get a promotion like his boss requested.”

Tony felt ill. “I’m not expecting anything from you. Just stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours.”

Harriet gave him a sharp nod, still looking at him distrustfully, before leaving. Tony was a little bit horrified by that conversation, but he decided not to think about it. But if in the morning, the CEO of Grunnings was arrested following an anonymous tip about possessing child pornography, well, no one had to know that Tony had a hand in him getting caught. And even if he maybe was involved, he definitely didn’t do it for Harriet. Really. He didn’t. At least that’s what he kept telling himself. Maybe eventually he’d believe it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony will be getting better soon. It'll be slow but it'll get there.  
> I'm aiming for at least one update a month but hopefully two. Unfortunately, I'm a stressed and depressed student who's just trying to get good enough grades in undergrad to be able to get into a good PhD program, so I only have so much time.   
> Next up is On Crushes and Being Crushed!  
> I love you all!


	3. On Crushes and Being Crushed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy folks! Sorry this took so long. I've had a hella rough last month. Long story short, medical emergencies that end up with me being in the ER did not bode well for my exam scores...  
> On the bright side, this is a bit longer than usual! I try to get 3000+ words for each chapter and this one is a bit above 5000. I have lots of plans for the next chapter so hopefully it won't take as long as this one!

# Chapter 3

Harley knew that Tony Stark was considered to be a very attractive man. Personally, Harley didn’t find him that attractive, but then again, he looked at him almost as a father figure, and he did _not_ have a daddy kink. And if he did, _he’d_ be the one to be the daddy, thank you very much. Harley also knew that Tony had a habit of sleeping with incredibly beautiful women. Those two facts meant that, logically, Tony’s daughter would likely be attractive as well, but he hadn’t expected her to be _this_ attractive.

She was just gorgeous. Beautiful. Lovely. She was all of the adjectives that meant attractive that he could think of without consulting a thesaurus. It wasn’t very many; he was a mechanic, not a poet. He could imagine what someone more skilled with words might say, though. They’d wax lyrically about her verdant orbs, her luscious black locks, how her slight blush rose on her cheeks like the dawn. Or so he assumed. Once again, he was a mechanic not a poet.

But seriously. She was stunning. It was definitely a crush at first sight. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hold her close and cradle her gently or pin her against the wall and kiss her until they were both gasping for breath. He did neither, of course. Just because he was a red-blooded male didn’t mean he didn’t have self-control.

She came out of the kitchen where she had been helping Steve cook dinner with a dusting of flour on her face and a few wisps of black hair escaping from the bun piled on top of her head and he ached to softly rub his thumb across her cheekbone to brush off the powder and he wondered what her skin felt like.

“Hello! You must be Harley. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Harriet.” She stuck out a hand and introduced herself, and by God, if Harley hadn’t had a thing for British accents before, he sure did now.

“That’s me. It’s a pleasure to meet ya, darlin’,” he said as he took her hand, and she looked up at him with a soft smile and lightly blushing cheeks, and he knew he was a goner. He would do anything to get her to smile at him like that again.

Harley had never considered himself a romantic. After all, he had never had a good example, with his dad walking out when he was younger and his mom never really having time for a new partner since then, working long hours at the diner to make ends meet. But there was something about this girl that made him want to woo her, and he’d never even considered using the word ‘woo’ in a sentence before.

Pete was laughing at him like the little traitor he was, and it was Harley’s turn to blush when he realized he was still holding Harriet’s hand. He quickly pulled his hand away, a bit embarrassed. “I should go put my things away. I’ll catch ya later, sweetheart, alright?” He made a hasty retreat, with Peter following behind.

“Very smooth there, Harley,” he chortled.

“Can it,” Harley hissed. “You coulda warned me that she was hot! I wouldn’t’ve made such a fool of myself!”

“But where’s the fun in that?” Peter nudged Harley, and Harley nudged him right back. They reached his room, and he put down his suitcase and took a moment just to appreciate being back. He loved being in New York with Tony and Peter, the almost father and almost brother he always wished he had. At first, he had been jealous of Peter and upset that Tony had replaced him, but then he got to know Peter and decided that he’d probably replace himself with Peter, too. The kid was just too sweet to dislike and he honestly made Harley a better person.

Harley did not like the person he was in Tennessee. He didn’t like being so angry but he just felt so trapped, so stuck and alone that he couldn’t help but lash out. He didn’t like getting into fistfights in the hallways and he didn’t like the disappointed look in his ma’s eyes on the rare chance she actually had the time to scold him and he didn’t like feeling so out of control all the time. He’d promise himself that he’d get a grip, stop talking back, stop fighting back, but he always ended up with bruised knuckles and a bruised heart and just an ache that never seemed to go away.

Harley was meant for more than Rose Hill, Tennessee. He was meant for more than just working in the small mechanic’s shop and he was meant for more than dusty roads and dirty diners and small-town minds. He had potential. He knew it, and Tony Stark knew it, too. Now that he was no longer confined by smallness and lack of opportunity, now that he could go to school with other kids who actually wanted to learn, a school where he didn’t have the reputation of being a sullen and hostile loner, he might actually succeed. Things were looking up, for sure.

~~~

Dinner was a casual affair. Harriet and Steve made a fabulous team in the kitchen, and there was more than enough delicious food to satisfy everyone, with lots of leftovers ready to be heated up when Rhodey, Bucky, and Wanda returned that evening. Harriet enjoyed the meal. She was sitting between Natasha and Clint, and the friendly banter around her reminded her of the Gryffindor table back at school. It was comforting and familiar.

Harriet had already grown quite fond of them both. Natasha had actually explained who the Avengers were (since when had there been an alien invasion?) and since Hedwig liked Clint, Harriet liked him, too. Hedwig had good taste. She was like Crookshanks; always able to smell out a rat.

Her absolute gem of a father was sitting at the other end of the table with Peter and Harley. Harriet had to admit that it did hurt just a tiny bit to see him be so fatherly to them but be so uncaring towards her. She didn’t need him, of course, but it still hurt. It actually hurt quite a bit. Just because she was used to being unwanted didn’t make it sting any less. She just sucked it up, though. After all, she had dealt with far worse before.

“By the way,” Bruce said, “I got a message from Thor. He and Loki are going to come here tomorrow. They should get here early afternoon at the latest.”

“I’ll make sure their rooms are ready,” Tony said before diving back into the conversation he was having with Harley and Peter about robotics that went straight over Harriet’s head. Not for the first time did she get annoyed that Hogwarts didn’t teach muggle subjects. She was about as capable with technology as Steve, and he was from the forties! The only “normal” subject she had any knowledge of was maths, and that was only due to Arithmancy and Hermione. She was actually quite decent at maths and was grateful that Hermione had encouraged her to take Arithmancy and Ancient Runes instead of Divination. They were far more interesting, and even though reading tended to be difficult for her, for some reason, reading the runes was easier. The runes didn’t seem to jump around the same way letters did. She usually used this nifty spell Hermione had found her that read books out loud which made studying marginally easier, but writing was still hard, and Snape loved to dock points for her spelling mistakes. Snape loved to dock points from her in general.

“Does Loki have to come?” Clint whined. Natasha reached around Harriet to whack him on the shoulder.

“You know he was mind controlled, too.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like him,” Clint muttered mutinously, but didn’t say any more on the subject. Instead, he turned towards Harriet. “So, what classes do you like at school? You’re Tony’s kid, so you’re probably smart, right?”

“Well, I like maths a lot, and French.” Fleur was teaching her French with Hermione’s help, so she thought that counted even though it wasn’t a class. She couldn’t exactly say her favorite classes were Defense Against the Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures. “My school has a class on taking care of animals that I enjoy a lot. I usually help with the horses and the birds.” She sent a silent apology to Firenze and the rest of the centaurs, hoping that they’d never find out she had referred to them as mere horses.

“Birds?” Clint asked, perking up.

“Yeah! We have a lot of them! My favorites are probably the scarlet ibis we have named Fawkes, and this beautiful eagle named Buckbeak. I’m one of the only people Buckbeak actually likes. He’s never once scratched me!” Buckbeak probably _would_ scratch her if he had heard her call him just an eagle. She’d have to grovel for his forgiveness. “I love animals! Just about all of them except for spiders.” She shuddered. “I cannot stand spiders. No offense, Pete.”

“None taken. I can’t say I’m a fan of them myself.”

“One of my housemates has a pet tarantula and I fell asleep in the Common Room only to wake up with it on my face. I screamed so loudly I probably woke up half the tower.” Most of the table winced at that.

“I’m surprised you didn’t mention anything about science or technology,” Sam said.

“My school doesn’t use technology. We don’t have electricity much less internet.”

“You don’t have _electricity_?”

“Nope! Just a lot of candles.”

“What kind of school do you go to?” Tony asked in horror. He couldn’t imagine how awful that school must be.

“It’s a specialty school. Both my parents went there, and I was signed up as soon as I was born.” Harriet ignored how Tony stiffened when she said “both” parents. She didn’t consider him her father. “It has its merits, but I’d honestly appreciate not returning. It’s not just the facility that’s antiquated, the education is too.”

“You should come to Midtown with me and Harley!” Peter interjected excitedly.

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. You have to be pretty smart to go there,” Tony said. He continued on, ignoring how tense the table got at his words. “Anyways, you’d be behind, and I doubt you’d have to time to catch up before fall.”

“Actually, I was thinking about attending a boarding school in France that my friend went to. We met during an exchange program a few years ago. My parents left me more than enough money to cover tuition, so you wouldn’t have to worry about the cost.” Her French was probably good enough for her to attend Beauxbatons. Probably.

“Shouldn’t you stay in New York?” Sam said hesitantly. “You and Tony just reconnected. Don’t you want to get to know each other?”

Harriet shrugged. “We have time to figure it out. School doesn’t start up again for another few months.” She picked up her plate. “May I be excused?”

“You don’t have to ask,” Steve said, so she got up and brought her plate to the kitchen. She quickly washed her dish before returning to the dining room, planning on saying goodnight even though it was still quite early. She desperately wanted some time alone.

There were three new people in the room when she came back, and they all looked at her curiously. Harriet assumed that these were Rhodey, Bucky, and Wanda. She was about to introduce herself when she felt someone brush her mind, trying to sneak in. She took a step back warily. “Stay the fuck out of my head,” she hissed. “I get mind-raped enough at school; I don’t need that here, too!” Everyone turned to look at her, and she took another step back, before fleeing to her room. She had to get out of there.

~~~

The room was quiet for a moment before Sam spoke up. “What type of school does she go to?”

Harley was glaring at Wanda, asking “What did you do to her?”

“The better question is who is she?” Rhodey asked, confused.

“That’s Harriet, my daughter,” Tony said. The trio who just entered looked at Tony in shock.

“You have a daughter?” said Wanda.

“Apparently so. It was a shock for me, too.”

“Is no one else concerned?” Peter interrupted. “She said she got mind-raped at school. That’s not normal! What were you doing in her mind anyways?”

Wanda just shrugged. “It’s a habit at this point. I want to make sure everyone is safe. I’m just surprised she noticed. No one ever does.”

“Alrighty, then,” Rhodey said, ignoring that frankly terrifying piece of information about Wanda’s regular invasion of privacy. “I’m going to go meet my niece.”

~~~

The door to Harriet’s room was shut, so Rhodey knocked lightly. “Is it alright if I come in?” He heard a faint “yes,” so he opened the door, revealing Harriet sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, knees pulled up to her chest and head resting against the wall.

“Hey, Harriet, I’m James Rhodes, Tony’s best friend. Most people call me Rhodey. It’s nice to meet you.” He entered the room and sat on the floor next to Harriet. “You know, if Tony had known about you right away, I would’ve been your godfather. I still could be, if you want,” he asked hesitantly. Rhodey wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it was definitely not seeing her face crumple as she tried to hold back tears.

“I already have-had a godfather. He died,” She rubbed at her eyes angrily. “I wasn’t supposed to be here, I was supposed to live with him this summer, but he died and left me and now I’m stuck here with a dad who clearly doesn’t want me! I just want him back.”

“I’m guessing Tony’s being a jerk, huh,” Rhodey said. He awkwardly patted her shoulder, trying to be soothing. She didn’t pull away, so he considered that a victory. “I don’t want to replace your godfather. Maybe I could be your uncle or something? I want you to feel comfortable here, not alone.”

“I have an uncle, too, but I don’t particularly care for him, so I’d love to have you as an uncle,” she said shyly. “Everyone here has been so nice besides Tony. I don’t understand why he dislikes me so much.”

“Tony had a difficult relationship with his father, and he’s always been leery of having his own kids. He’d be a good dad if he could get over himself. If he doesn’t get better soon, I’ll knock some sense into him. You shouldn’t have to suffer because of his insecurities.” Rhodey stretched his legs out and looked over at Harriet, who was staring somberly at the floor. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry about your godfather.”

“Thank you. He was a good man. He shouldn’t have had to die like that. He shouldn’t even have been there, but he was, and he fell and I couldn’t get to him in time. I would’ve fallen right after him if Remus hadn’t held me back.” Tears were leaking from her eyes. “I don’t know why I’m even telling you this.”

“When did this happen?”

“A bit over a week ago, just before term ended,” she whispered. Rhodey frowned. That was far more recent than he expected.

“I’m sorry, kiddo. This must be so hard for you.” She nodded, fully crying into his shoulder now. He put his arm around her. “If there’s anything I can do to help you, just let me know. I’m here for you, and the rest of the team, too.”

“Thank you, but it’s alright. I’m planning on applying for emancipation at the end of the summer. I would’ve already but my social worker said I had to at least try living with my dad before I could.” She groaned. “This is all just so dumb.”

“I hope you choose to stay, but I’ll support you if you want to leave.” He lightly bumped her shoulder with her own. “C’mon, let’s head to the kitchen. We can make some hot chocolate and I’ll tell you embarrassing stories about Tony.”

“That sounds good. Thank you, Uncle Rhodey.” She accepted his hand up and joined him on the way to the kitchen, listening to him chatter about one of the many times Tony had incinerated his eyebrows. Maybe living here wouldn’t be so bad.

~~~

Per usual, Harriet woke up early. She and sleep were not exactly compatible, and she was still having dreams that were peeks into Voldemort’s mind. Waking up after watching him torture a follower or gleefully murder a muggle always made her feel sick. She had cried herself to sleep last night, and her face still felt sticky and tight, so she took a long shower, trying to warm up despite the coldness she felt deep in her bones despite the summer.

Getting dressed, she dug through her trunk, looking for the Weasley sweater Mrs. Weasley had knit for Sirius last Christmas, in Gryffindor colors with a large, golden ‘S’. It was large on her, hanging off her thin shoulders and exposing her collarbones, but it was cozy and still smelled like him. She needed the comfort.

She shuffled towards the kitchen, hoping that a hot cup of mint tea would settle her stomach. Voldemort was developing a new torture spell that was designed to slowly peel off a victim’s skin, and she had been forced into watching him test the curse on a handful of terrified muggles. Harriet couldn’t get their screams out of her head.

Despite the early hour, the kitchen wasn’t empty. Two men were there, one slight with dark hair drinking tea himself, whereas the tall blond man had a worryingly large pile of Pop tarts in front of him that he was shoveling into his mouth. The dark-haired man was watching with vague disgust, and Harriet couldn’t help but feel the same as she saw the crumbs fly through the air.

“You must be Loki and Thor,” she said, entering the room. “I’m Harriet, Tony’s daughter.”

“Well met, child,” said the smaller man. He had turned to face her, and she was startled by his bright green eyes that reminded her of her own. “I am Loki, God of Mischief, and that oaf over there is my brother Thor.”

“Yes, well met, Harriet Tonydottir!” Thor spoke loudly, still spewing crumbs.

“It’s Potter, actually. Harriet Potter. Are you actually the God of Mischief?” When Loki nodded, Harriet grinned. “That’s so cool! My friends are going to be so jealous. They worship you! They have an altar dedicated to you in their room.” She’d even seen the twins leave gifts at the altar in honor of Loki. She couldn’t _wait_ to tell them.

“As they should,” said Loki, smugly. He rose gracefully from the stool he had been perched on and walked towards Harriet. He lightly grasped her chin, tilting her head to see her face better. “Who is your mother?”

“Her name was Lily Potter. Born Lily Evans. She died a long time ago.”

“Was she a magic-user like yourself?”

“The first in her family. Why?”

“I had a daughter named Lily born from a union with a mortal woman. She and your mother must have been one and the same, because my blood runs strong within you. You are powerful, destined for greatness.” Loki frowned, and wrapped his arms gently around her. “I am saddened to hear about her death, my child. You have her fire in your soul.” He pulled away.

Thor gave her an overpowered friendly slap on the back. “Welcome to the family, niece! You are a great warrior already, especially for one so young. We should share stories sometime! I would love to hear of your adventures. Maybe I can teach you to fight with a sword like a true Asgardian.”

“She may be a warrior, but she’s a magic-user first,” Loki said irritably. “You cannot monopolize her time. I want to teach my granddaughter family magic, as is her birthright.”

“We could do both? I’d love to learn from both of you.” She looked up at both of them happily. “Thank you so much!”

Loki smiled at her fondly while Thor ruffled her hair. “Welcome to the family, little one.” A family sounded nice, she thought.

~~~

Harley _loved_ lab time. Tony’s workshop was home to him, and he was never happier than when he was down there smudged with grease and tinkering with something. His current project was reworking a 1957 Mercedes SL 300 Gullwing to run with an electric engine. While Pete specialized in biochemistry and technology, Harley was an engineer and a mechanic at heart and loved nothing more than being elbow deep in the hood of a car. The only thing he enjoyed more was helping Tony work on one of the Iron Man suits.

The three of them were standing around the latest Mark, satisfied. They had been working on improving the stealth mode for the last six hours or so without a break, and they had finally affixed the last mirror and tested the last mechanism, and it worked like a dream. Tony threw his arms around Harley and Peter and pulled them in close.

“I’m so proud of us. You know you two are like sons to me, right? I hope you aren’t worried about me replacing you now that I have a daughter. You two are more my kids than she will ever be.”

Harley frowned. “You’re kinda being an asshole, Tony.”

“She’s not as smart as you two and I just don’t like her very much!”

“Harley’s right, Mr. Stark. You’re really not being very nice.”

“It’s alright, Pete. The feeling’s quite mutual.” They turned around to see Harriet standing there awkwardly. “Pepper asked me to bring some food since you guys missed lunch.” She set a plate of sandwiches on the lab table. “I’ll just be going now.”

Harley whacked Tony on the side as Harriet walked away. “You should apologize!”

“Why should I? I meant what I said.”

“You know what? You’re not acting like an asshole. You’re acting like an asshole and a child!” By now, Harriet was gone, and Harley and Pete were both glaring at Tony. “I think I’m done for the day.”

“Me too,” said Peter, and they walked out together, leaving Tony gaping behind them.

~~~

Harriet was annoyed at how upset she was feeling. She came into the situation with low expectations, yet she was still hurt at being rejected. She should be used to it by now. It wasn’t like she even blamed Tony for preferring Peter and Harley over her.

She needed some fresh air, and before she knew it, she was out of the Tower and wandering the streets of New York. The crowding of people around her was almost soothing, allowing her to blend in and to not matter for a moment. Harriet didn’t wander far, though. It was a big city, and she had no way of contacting anyone should she get lost. Then again, the Tower was large, ugly, and ostentatious so it wouldn’t be too difficult to make her way back.

It was so nice to be out of the stifling Tower. Everyone besides Tony had been so nice but she still felt stuck. She wished more than anything that she was back at Grimmauld Place with Sirius. She even almost missed Walburga’s screaming. She’d listen to it all day long if it meant she got to see Sirius again, but Sirius was gone, and she was stuck and she was just so sad and alone.

“No way! You’re Harriet Potter!” A group of girls a bit younger than her were standing right next to her on the sidewalk.

“Uhh, no I’m not?”

“You totally are! You even have the scar! Could we get an autograph?”

“I gotta go.” Harriet hated the way they were looking at her, so she turned and ran, barely avoiding knocking people over. She felt like she couldn’t escape the eyes on her, and she kept running until she ended up huddled in the back of an alley curled up crying in the dirt. She was getting something gross and sticky on her brand new jeans but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She couldn’t bring herself to feel.

~~~

It was getting dark when she finally got herself to return to the Tower. She walked back slowly, lost in her mind until she suddenly heard a woman scream in front of her and practically jump into the road to avoid something on the sidewalk. Ever the Gryffindor, Harriet went to investigate. All of the other pedestrians were leaving a wide berth around a frankly massive snake, who was hissing angrily at the people passing around him, snapping at their heels.

“ _Do you need help?_ ” Harriet asked, slipping easily into Parseltongue and crouching down next to the snake.

“ _Finally! Someone intelligent. All of these peasants have been ignoring me!_ ” the snake hissed back. “ _I fear I have become a bit lost. Midgard has greatly changed since I last visited. There were never this many two-leggers, and the ones that were there were wise enough to worship me as I deserve._ ”

_“Maybe I can help you find where you’re going?”_

_“I am looking for my father, Loki. I had heard that he was staying in the Newer York but I can’t seem to find him in this blasted city.”_

Wait. A snake saying they were the child of Loki? “ _You must be Jörmungandr! I can help you find Loki. I actually live with him.”_

 _“You have heard of me?”_ the snake said, pleased. He started to slither up Harriet’s leg, eventually draping himself across her shoulders and wrapping his tail around her waist. _“Bring me to him, noble steed!”_ Harriet chuckled, staggering slightly under Jörmungandr’s weight. She headed back to the Tower, a bit more eagerly now.

The Tower security easily let her pass, looking at the massive snake warily. Harriet was very grateful for the elevator because Jörmungandr was not light, and it would have been far too many flights of stairs for her to carry him.

“Miss F.R.I.D.A.Y., do you know where I could find my grandfather?”

“I can take you to his floor, Mini Boss.” The elevator started moving smoothly. “I’m sorry about the way Boss is treating you.”

“It’s alright but thank you.” Even the AI was nice! The doors slid open when they arrived at the floor Thor and Loki shared. “Grandfather?” Harriet called out. “I found someone you’ll probably want to talk to.”

Loki came out of his room and gasped happily as _Jörmungandr slipped off Harriet and slithered as fast as was snakely possible over to Loki. “Jörmy! It has been far too long! I have missed you very much. I see you’ve met my granddaughter, Harriet.”_

 _“I should have known that someone intelligent enough to speak the Serpent’s Tongue was a relative. Feel free to call me Uncle Jörmy. It’s a shame you’re not a snake yourself.”_ Harriet kind of agreed with that. Her life would be so much easier if she had been a snake.

Thor entered the room, and when he saw the three of them hissing to each other, one of them being an enormous snake, he back away slowly. He didn’t know what was going on, just that he wanted no part of it, at all.

_~~~_

Harriet ate dinner with Jörmungandr and Loki. Thor joined them after a while, but he sat at the far end of the table, looking skittish and a bit disgusted from watching Jörmungandr eat his supper. Jörmy needed quite a few rats to be full, though he’d probably be filled after eating Pettigrew. She wished she could see that. Speaking of the rat…

“Grandfather? Would you be willing to teach me shapeshifting? Both my adoptive father and my godfather were able to transform into an animal form, and I’ve always wanted to learn. I know that shapeshifting is one of your specialties.”

“I would love to teach you. I know Midgardian magic users can only shift into one form, but you’re no mere Midgardian, so you should likely be able to shift into any form you want, similar to me. We can start tomorrow if you would like.”

“I’d love to,” Harriet grinned.

“Then you would best be getting to bed. I want to start at sunrise, and shapeshifting takes a lot of energy, especially at first.”

“Alright! I’ll meet you in the main kitchen tomorrow then! Thank you so much!” Harriet practically bounced off to her room, bubbling with excitement.

When she got back to her room, she noticed a box on her desk. She picked it up and pulled the note off. It read “Sorry, kid.” She opened the box and pulled out a new phone. She snorted. If this was Tony’s way of apologizing, it really needed work.

Harriet was excited to have a phone, though. She had never had one and had always been a bit jealous of Dudley’s. Even better, now she would be able to talk to Hermione! She hadn’t sent any letters yet because she wasn’t sure if Hedwig could fly all the way back to England and she didn’t want to risk it, but now she could talk to Hermione, who could also talk to Ron for her.

Harriet had memorized Hermione’s phone number before, in case she’d get an opportunity to use the phone the Dursleys had, so as soon as she finished setting up the device, she was typing Hermione’s number in and was pressing “Call.” The phone rang and rang, and to her disappointment, she got Hermione’s voicemail.

“Hey, Hermione, it’s me, Harriet. So a lot of things have happened that I wanna talk to you about so call me back when you have the chance!”

After that, Harriet went to sleep. She had a busy day of learning ahead of her and she just couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyy we've met everybody now! I couldn't help adding a snake I just love them so much. Also, this is the last chapter of Tony being an unrepentant dick! Next chapter, he'll still be a dick, but a repentant one.  
> Coming up, On Tutors and Tours!  
> I love you all!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feel free to leave comments or constructive criticism. I love you all!


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